Donald Polaski ( Authorizing an End: The Isaiah Apocalypse and Intertextuality (Biblical Interpretation Series) ) links the feast of Isaiah 25 with the imperial feasts of the Babylonian kings of Daniel and Ahasuerus in Esther. He concludes that Isaiah implicitly endorses empire: “The feast . . . . Continue Reading »
While the Lord is setting out a grand feast on the mountaintop, Moab is down below, trampled in the offal of the sacrifices (Isaiah 25:10). It’s fitting that Moab is left wallowing in the madmenah , since there is a Moabite town known as Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2). The simile reminds me of the . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 25 has a number of connections with the events of the exodus and the Sinai covenant. The Psalm that opens the chapter resonates with the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, as does the song of salvation in verse 9. The feast on the mountain is a sacrificial feast on Mount Zion, but also resembles . . . . Continue Reading »
According to Isaiah 25, Yahweh will swallow ( bala ‘) the covering over the peoples (v. 7), the “veil,” and “death” (v. 8). He has spread a banquet on this mountain, and His portion is to eat the covering and feast. Most of the uses of “swallow” in the OT . . . . Continue Reading »
On the far side of the Red Sea, Israel sings the Song of Moses, praising the God who “does wonders (Heb. pele’ )” (Exodus 15:11). It’s the first time the word is used, and from that point on praise of Yahweh’s “wonders” always evokes the exodus story. The . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION In the center of Isaiah’s “little apocalypse” is a vision of a ruined and restored city, and at the center of the center is a promise that the Lord will prepare a table for His people, and a series of songs of praise (25:1-2, 9; 26:1-6). THE TEXT “O Lord, You . . . . Continue Reading »
We all know that the days of the week take their names from classical or Germanic gods. But why the order? The order of the week is not the order of the planets in the sky, which is, as we find in Dante: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The order of days starts in the middle, and . . . . Continue Reading »
A few comments on the physiology, psychology, and culture of aroma from Diane Ackerman’s A Natural History of the Senses . Like many writers, Ackerman links smell and memory: “Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary, and fleeting, yet conjure up a . . . . Continue Reading »
How do prophets harden and deafen the deaf? Perhaps it works like this: Prophets speak in extremes. Prophets shout. Prophets “draw large and startling figures” (Flannery O’Connor). Yet nothing happens. They keep shouting and drawing. Still nothing happens. They shout louder, their . . . . Continue Reading »
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